FSU President Named to National Task Force

Fairmont State University President Dan Bradley is one of 78 administrators from public colleges and universities across the nation to be selected to develop recommendations for a Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA). The project is a partnership between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC).

In 2006, NASULGC and AASCU consulted with various education officials, public policymakers and academic leaders on ways that public higher education can become more accountable to the public on learning outcomes and campus engagement while also providing additional information to students and families to aid them in the selection process. The result is the Voluntary System of Accountability Project. The project is made possible by a $267,900 grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education. During 2007, the participants will work as task forces and technical work groups developing a system of accountability that could be adopted at any public college or university.

Bradley has been selected to participate on The Task Force on Student and Family Information. The mission of the task force is to identify what information is most helpful to prospective students and their families in deciding which university is the best educational fit.

"Making information available to students and families that will allow them to make informed decisions about higher education and individual institutions is in everyone's best interest. I am excited to be able to contribute," Bradley said.

Other members of The Task Force on Student and Family Information are the following:
CHAIR: Loren Crabtree, Chancellor, University of Tennessee System
Linda Bennett, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Southern Indiana
Richard Cost, President, University of Maine at Fort Kent
Beverly Edmond, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Alabama A&M University
Dennis Hengstler, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Planning and Analysis, University of California Berkeley
Richard Howard, Director University-wide, Office of Institutional Research, University of Minnesota
Bonita Jacobs, Vice President for Student Development, University of North Texas
Scott Olson, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Margaret Roark, Senior Student Services Coordinator, University of Wisconsin Extension
Teri Thill, Researcher, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Lori Varlotta, Vice President for Student Affairs, California State University, Sacramento

For more information on other task forces, project participants or the project itself, visit http://www.aascu.org/accountability/.

The more than 430 public colleges and universities that are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) work to extend higher education to all citizens, including those who have been traditionally underrepresented on college campuses. By Delivering America's Promise, these institutions fulfill the expectations of a public university by working for the public good through education and engagement, thereby improving the lives of people in their community, their region and their state.

Founded in 1887, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC, A Public University Association), is an association of public research universities, land-grant institutions, and many state public university systems. Its 214 members enroll more than 3.6 million students, award approximately a half-million degrees annually, and have an estimated 20 million alumni. As the nation's oldest higher education association, NASULGC is dedicated to excellence in learning, discovery and engagement. For more information, visit www.nasulgc.org.